This German actress, fashion model and former ballerina shot to stardom after landing roles in blockbuster films like Troy and National Treasure. But critics didn't start to take notice until director Quentin Tarantino cast her as one of the leading ladies in his gory war movie, Inglourious Basterds.

Kruger plays a fictional German film star named Bridget von Hammersmark in the film, which co-stars Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. What her Nazi fans don't know, however, is that Bridget is secretly working with a group of Jewish American soldiers who are plotting to destroy leaders of the Third Reich.